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A CV (curriculum vitae) is a detailed account of your professional experience and academic background. The term comes from Latin and means “course of life.”
In this guide, we’ll cover the fundamentals of how to write a CV, offering expertly crafted examples and tips for standing out to employers and hiring committees.
You’ll learn the purpose of a CV, how it differs from a resume, how to write each section effectively, and how to format and structure your document for clarity and impact.
What Is a Curriculum Vitae?
A curriculum vitae (CV) is a comprehensive document that outlines your professional and academic history, skills, accomplishments, and other relevant experiences.
CVs provide a detailed overview of your qualifications and measurable achievements for employers and organizations. They’re primarily used for:
- Job applications: CVs are often required when applying for academic, research, or high-level professional positions.
- Academic and research positions: CVs are essential when applying for academic positions, such as faculty roles, research positions, and graduate programs.
- Grant and fellowship applications: CVs are used to demonstrate qualifications when applying for funding opportunities, such as grants, scholarships, or fellowships.
- Professional networking: CVs showcase your expertise when shared with colleagues, mentors, or other professionals in your field.
- Career advancement: CVs can be used as a tool for career planning and advancement, helping you track professional growth and set career goals.
Elevate Your Professional Presence With a CV
What Is the Difference Between a Resume & a CV?
A CV is a detailed, career-long document used mainly in academic and research settings, while a resume is a shorter, targeted document used for most nonacademic job applications.
Here are some of the key differences between CVs vs resumes:
- Length: Resumes are usually one to two pages long and focus on your most relevant work experience and skills for a specific job. CVs are typically longer and provide a more comprehensive overview of your entire career.
- Purpose: CVs are primarily used in academic, research, and scientific fields. Resumes are used for job applications in most other industries, such as business, marketing, technology, and nonacademic sectors.
- Content: CVs include detailed information about your academic and professional experience, including research, publications, and presentations. Resumes include select professional experience, education, and skills tailored to a specific role.
- Customization: CVs are generally consistent and don’t change significantly between applications. Resumes should be customized for each job to highlight your most relevant experience and skills.
- Location: In most European countries, job seekers use a CV instead of a resume for job applications. A U.S. resume is used for most roles outside of academia, while a CV is typically reserved for academic, research, or international job applications.
Standard CV Layout
The standard CV layout is a clear, logical structure that helps employers quickly find key information. The section breakdown below shows how to organize your CV so your experience, education, and skills are easy to scan and professionally presented.
How to Write a CV for a Job Application
Writing a CV for a job application involves creating a clear, well-organized document that highlights your academic, professional, and personal achievements.
Follow these steps to create your own:
Step 1
Gather Your Information
Preparation is critical to writing a CV. Before you begin, gather your essential information, including work history, job-relevant skills, and educational background.
Scan the job description for keywords to include in your CV. This ensures your application passes applicant tracking system (ATS) screening and reaches hiring managers.
Make a note of all required qualifications and “nice-to-have” skills, then compile the following details:
- Education: Institutions attended, degrees earned, honors, awards, and thesis or dissertation titles
- Professional experience: Job titles, company names, locations, dates of employment, responsibilities, and key achievements
- Publications and presentations: Titles of papers, names of journals or conferences, and presentation dates
- Relevant skills: Software proficiency, languages, soft skills, and technical skills relevant to your field
- Research experience: Project titles, institutions, dates, and important contributions or skills gained
- Certifications and licenses: Relevant certifications or licenses and the dates they were obtained
- Professional affiliations: Memberships in relevant professional organizations or societies
- Awards and honors: Scholarships, grants, fellowships, and other significant recognitions
You can use our CV Maker to create a CV with professional templates, guided prompts, and professionally written content suggestions tailored to your industry or target role.
Step 2
Choose a Professional CV Template
Choose a CV template with a clean layout, consistent headings, simple fonts, and logical sections that highlight your experience and skills without distracting design elements.
Using a template is one of the easiest ways to ensure your CV is properly structured and ATS-friendly. See our ATS-friendly resume guide for additional formatting tips.
Our expertly crafted templates organize your CV for maximum readability and allow you to quickly customize it for different roles. You can also rearrange sections to match your industry, job title, and job requirements.
This helps ensure your CV is formatted correctly, with 1-inch margins, proper spacing, professional fonts, and a visually appealing design.
Step 3
Add Your Contact Information
No matter how you format your CV, include your contact information at the top so hiring managers can easily reach you.
You can format your CV header the same way you’d format your resume header. Include the following information:
- Full name
- Phone number
- Professional email address
- City and zip/postal code
- Professional profile, website, or portfolio link
Step 4
Include a Professional Summary
Add a professional summary to your CV to quickly introduce yourself and offer employers a glimpse of your most relevant work experience and skills.
Here’s an example CV summary statement:
Skilled assistant attorney in private practice with over five years of experience settling personal injury cases and litigating employment defense. Specializes in negotiating settlements quickly and using research and analysis to develop effective client strategies. Experienced in preparing discovery, writing case briefs, and resolving negotiation conflicts.
From there, you can organize your CV sections in the order that best highlights your qualifications for the role, as long as you include skills, education, and work experience.
Step 5
Showcase Relevant Skills
Place your CV skills section directly under your professional summary so employers can quickly identify your core qualifications.
Include five to 10 of your most relevant hard skills and soft skills tailored to the job description. Examples of strong interpersonal skills to include are:
- Resilience
- Communication
- Interpersonal skills
- Leadership
- Adaptability
- Flexibility
- Collaboration
- Active listening
- Cultural competence
- Creativity
You can use our AI-powered skills generator to find job-relevant skills for your CV:
AI Resume Skills Generator
Step 6
Add Your Work Experience
Place your professional experience section in the first quarter of your CV so potential employers can easily find it. Relevant work history is essential for highlighting your fit for the role.
List current and past jobs in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent position. Reference the chronological resume format for additional tips and examples.
For each role, include three to five key accomplishments along with:
- Company name
- Company location
- Dates of employment
- Job title
Employers look for measurable results, so use numbers and impact wherever possible to demonstrate your contributions. Notice how the work history entry example below for a physics professor’s CV highlights impact rather than simply listing job responsibilities.
WORK HISTORY
Adjunct Physics Professor
Drexel University, Department of Physics | Philadelphia, PA
September 2020–Present
- Develop lab activities for 25 students in three different undergraduate physics classes, ranging from beginner to intermediate.
- Guide 15 third-year students through thesis development and research projects.
- Created five lab manuals for Physics 101, 102, and 201.
- Led 20 undergraduate students in an award-winning research study on modern advances in radiation therapy.
Use powerful action verbs throughout your CV to emphasize your impact in past roles. Examples include:
- Mediate
- Articulate
- Interface
- Convince
- Negotiate
- Critique
- Arbitrate
- Counsel
- Motivate
- Mentor
- Collaborate
- Resolve
- Inspire
- Encourage
- Listen
- Assist
- Help
- Relate
- Analyze
- Liaise
- Translate
- Guide
- Interact
- Express
- Correspond
- Determine
- Evaluate
- Formulate
- Interpret
- Measure
- Predict
- Survey
- Establish
- Optimize
- Summarize
- Examine
Step 7
Create Your Education Section
In your CV education section, include the name of the institution, the degree earned, and your graduation date. If you have multiple degrees or attended more than one institution, list them in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent.
You can place your education section in different parts of your CV depending on your experience level and field.
For example, suppose you’re a medical doctor with several years of experience. In that case, you might place your education section after your skills and work history.
Whereas if you’re applying for your first postgraduate assistant professor position, it makes more sense to show your education credentials before anything else.
Include your GPA if it’s relevant or requested, along with any academic honors, awards, grants, scholarships, or fellowships.
Here’s an example education section for a corporate lawyer:
EDUCATION
Juris Doctor | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, CA
Master of Business Administration | Northwestern University | Chicago, IL
Bachelor of Arts in English | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ
See how to list education on a resume for sample education sections and tips from career advice experts.
Step 8
Add Optional CV Sections
You can add additional sections, such as certifications or awards, to demonstrate the breadth of your experience and qualifications. Explore examples below to get started.
Certifications
Not all professions require certifications or licenses, but if you have them, include a certifications section on your CV and list them in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent.
For example:
CERTIFICATIONS
Notary Public, Michigan
Michigan Department of State
Issued May 2025
Renewal date: May 2030
Awards & Honors
When writing a CV, you can include an awards and honors section to highlight achievements from your education and career.
This section may include Dean’s List recognitions, academic or professional distinctions, leadership awards, and volunteer or community awards.
List awards and honors in reverse-chronological order and include the award name, issuing organization, and date received.
For example:
AWARDS & HONORS
- Heroes of Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society, 2025
- National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, 2024
- Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2022
Publications
If you’ve published articles, research papers, essays, stories, or books, include them in a dedicated publications section. List publications in reverse-chronological order. Include the title, publication name, and publication date.
For example:
PUBLICATIONS
Smith, J., & Johnson, L. (2025). Advancements in CRISPR-Cas9 Technology. Nature Biotechnology, 41(3), 456–462.
- Explored the latest innovations in CRISPR technology and its applications in genetic engineering.
Volunteer Experience
Hiring managers value volunteer experience on a CV because it demonstrates well-rounded interpersonal skills and initiative.
List volunteer experience in reverse-chronological order and include your role, organization name, location, and dates.
For example:
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Attending Physician, World Pediatric Project
Guatemala City, Guatemala | 2026
Lead Clinician, Clinic by the Bay
San Francisco, CA | 2025
Step 9
Proofread & Revise Your CV
Proofread your CV more than once, and ask a trusted friend or family member to review it before sending it to an employer.
Review formatting, grammar, and content to ensure each section is complete, accurate, and consistent.
We recommend using our ATS Resume Checker, which scans your CV for common errors and offers instant suggestions to improve structure and content.
Step 10
Save & Download Your CV
Use a clear file name (e.g., Your Name-Job Title-CV-Company Name-Date) so hiring managers can quickly identify your document.
If the job description doesn’t specify a file type, saving your CV as a Microsoft Word document is a safe option, as most ATS systems and employers prefer it. A PDF is also a strong choice if you want to preserve formatting across devices.
Always place your name at the beginning of the file name to make your CV easier to locate when employers are reviewing dozens—or even hundreds—of applications.
How to Make a CV: Formatting Tips
When you make your CV, use a consistent structure, clear headings, and simple design choices so hiring managers can quickly find key information.
Here’s how to write a good CV:
- Keep it clean and professional. Use a professional and easy-to-read font, such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. A font size of 10 to 12 points is typically ideal.
- Use clear headings and subheadings. Use bold or slightly larger text for section headings to organize the content and make it easier for the reader to navigate.
- Incorporate bullet points for easy reading. Use bullet points to break down your roles, responsibilities, and achievements in each section.
- Use consistent spacing. Align text to the left, as it’s easier to read. Avoid justified text, which can create uneven spacing. Use consistent spacing between sections and entries.
- Set margins strategically. Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the page. If you need more space, you can reduce the margins slightly, but don’t go lower than 0.5 inches.
- Use white space. Your CV should be visually appealing and easy to read, so don’t overcrowd it. Leave plenty of white space.
- Avoid overuse of graphics and colors. Stick to a clean, professional look. Avoid using excessive colors, graphics, or overly creative layouts.
Professional CV Examples
Refer to the CV examples below for guidance as you write your CV. Our samples are professionally crafted to showcase job-relevant skills and experiences.
Sample Academic CV Layout
An academic CV provides a comprehensive overview of your scholarly background, including education, research experience, publications, and teaching history.
The sample below demonstrates how to structure an academic CV to clearly present your qualifications in a format commonly expected by universities and research institutions.
Sample Legal CV Layout
A law CV focuses on your legal education, relevant experience, certifications, and areas of practice. The example below illustrates how to structure a law CV to clearly present your qualifications, legal expertise, and professional background.
Sample Scientific CV Layout
A scientific CV emphasizes your research background, technical expertise, publications, and key contributions to your field. The example below shows how to structure a scientific CV to highlight your experience and qualifications for scientific disciplines.
Sample Medical CV Layout
A medical CV highlights your clinical experience, education, certifications, and professional affiliations in a clear, structured format. The example below shows how to organize a medical CV to emphasize your training, areas of expertise, and healthcare experience.
Explore our library of professional CV examples to see how to write a professional CV for various roles, industries, and career stages.
CV Writing Dos & Don’ts
Writing an effective CV means presenting your experience clearly, tailoring content to the role, and avoiding common mistakes that weaken credibility, like clutter and generic language.
Here are some dos and don’ts to consider when writing your CV:
- Tailor your CV to the job. Customize your CV for each job application. Highlight the skills, experiences, and achievements that are most relevant to the specific role.
- Focus on achievements. Rather than just listing your responsibilities, focus on what you achieved in each role. For example, “Published five peer-reviewed articles.”
- Use action verbs. To convey impact, start bullet points with strong action verbs like “developed,” “managed,” “designed,” “led,” “implemented,” and “achieved.”
- Highlight relevant skills. Include a skills section where you list specific competencies relevant to the job. These might include language skills or any specialized knowledge.
- Include keywords. Review the job description and incorporate relevant keywords into your CV. Many companies use ATS that scan for these.
- Keep it professional. Avoid informal language, personal pronouns (e.g., “I” and “me”), and unnecessary details like hobbies or unrelated interests unless they add value.
- Showcase continuous learning. Include relevant courses or professional development activities demonstrating your commitment to your field.
- Include personal information. Don’t include personal details, such as your age, marital status, religion, or a photo, unless specifically requested.
- Overlook spelling and grammatical errors. Typos and grammatical mistakes can make you seem unprofessional. Always proofread your CV carefully to check for these errors.
- Forget to highlight career progression. If you’ve advanced in your career, make sure to show how your roles have developed over time.
- Neglect to update your CV. Regularly update your CV to reflect your latest experience, skills, and achievements.
Write a Cover Letter to Complement Your CV
Increase your chances of securing your next job interview by including a compelling cover letter with your CV. Cover letters are vital to job applications because they show potential employers the person behind the job qualifications.
They explain why you’re interested in the role, how your skills make you a strong fit, and can help address employment gaps, career changes, or other details that may not be fully explained in your CV. Here are a few resources to help you get started:
Key Takeaways
- Prepare to write your CV by gathering essential information, including relevant skills and measurable career achievements.
- Incorporate keywords and phrases from the job description to improve alignment with employer expectations and applicant tracking systems.
- Review CV examples from your industry or field to understand formatting and content best practices.
- Always include a tailored cover letter to complement your curriculum vitae and strengthen your application.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I write a CV with no experience?
You can write a CV with no experience by focusing on your education, transferable skills, and relevant achievements instead of formal work history.
Highlight coursework, volunteer work, internships, or projects that demonstrate skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Include a strong personal statement and use a clean format to present your strengths clearly and professionally.
How far back should a CV go?
A CV should typically go back 10 to 15 years, focusing on your most recent and relevant experience. It can go further if earlier roles are highly relevant or demonstrate important career progression.
Older positions should be briefly summarized or omitted to keep your CV concise, clear, and easy for recruiters to scan.
What should a beginner's CV look like?
A beginner’s CV should be simple, well-structured, and focused on education, skills, and potential rather than extensive work experience.
Start with contact details and a brief personal statement, then highlight education, relevant coursework, projects, volunteer work, and transferable skills. Use a clean format with clear headings and bullet points to make your strengths easy for recruiters to scan.
What are the 7 basic steps to writing a CV?
The seven basic steps to writing a CV are:
- Gather your information (work history, education, skills, and achievements).
- Add your contact details at the top of your CV header.
- Write a strong personal statement tailored to the role.
- List your work experience and education using clear bullet points.
- Highlight key skills and achievements relevant to the job.
- Include additional sections (certifications, volunteering, or projects, where applicable).
- Edit, format, and proofread for clarity, consistency, and accuracy.
Following these steps helps you create a structured, professional CV that’s easy for recruiters to read and tailored to the job you want.
Can ChatGPT write a CV?
ChatGPT can help you write a CV by generating structured content for sections such as your summary, work experience, skills, and education based on the information you provide.
It can also help improve wording, formatting, and tailoring for specific roles, but you should always review and edit the final CV yourself. Personal accuracy, real experience, and honest details are essential.
Check out our ChatGPT CV guide for tips and best practices on using AI to support the CV writing process.
What is the most common CV mistake?
The most common CV mistake is making it too generic and not tailoring it to the specific job. Many candidates also include irrelevant information, use unclear formatting, or fail to highlight measurable achievements.
These issues make it harder for recruiters to quickly identify value, reducing your chances of progressing to the next stage of the hiring process.
How do you tailor a CV for a specific job?
Tailoring your CV for a specific job starts with closely reviewing the job description and identifying the skills, qualifications, and keywords the employer emphasizes.
Adjust your professional summary, skills section, and work experience to reflect the role’s requirements, using similar language where appropriate.
Focus on accomplishments most relevant to the position, and remove or downplay details that don’t support your candidacy.
What should come first in your CV?
Your contact information should come first in your CV, including your name, phone number, email address, and location. This should be placed at the top so recruiters can quickly identify and contact you. Add a professional summary directly below your contact information.
The next section can vary depending on your background. Place education, experience, or skills next based on what’s most relevant to the role.
What skills should I list on my CV?
You should list skills on your CV that are relevant to the job, including a mix of technical skills (e.g., software or tools) and soft skills (e.g., communication or teamwork).
Focus on abilities you can demonstrate through experience, projects, or education, and tailor them to match the job description so employers can quickly assess your suitability for the role.
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How to Write a CV
Marla is a professional resume writer. She is committed to helping job seekers navigate the job market and succeed in their careers.
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Our customers have been hired at:*Foot Note
